Nanoporous materials (e.g., polymers, metals, inorganic compounds) are three-dimensional structures that resemble foam. The interconnected ligaments and struts (typically less than 1000 nm in diameter) form complex networks that provide porosity of often more than 50%. This nano-architecture offers high specific surface areas and ultralow density in some cases. While nanoporous compounds such as silica and alumina are mass-produced, nanoporous metals have conventionally required much more complex synthesis strategies (e.g., templated assembly, dealloying, sol-gel approaches, nanosmelting, super-critical drying, or combustion synthesis), making broad deployment economically unfeasible. Nonetheless, nanoporous metal foams are compelling materials as they can maintain good electrical and thermal conductivity while offering size-effect-enhanced activity, tunable density and specific surface area, and novel electro/mechanical behavior (Tappan et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2010, 49:4544-4565). Consequently, nanoporous metals are being sought for applications such as catalysis, battery and capacitor electrodes, heat sinks, hydrogen storage, filtration, antimicrobial scaffolds, high-energy density physics experiments, and inks for additive manufacturing of printed batteries and sensors.
Thus, a need exists for improved methods for producing nanoporous metal and metal compound materials.